Rose Petals
by Sandylee007
Summary: Naruto’s wedding approaches, but what happens when Sasuke and he start to find it harder and harder to forget why they once broke up? AU YAOI NaruSasu POSSIBLE THREE OR FOURSHOT
1. The Invitation

A/N: Hey there – AGAIN!

Yeah, I'm demolishing my about millionth beast in a short period of time. (grins sheepishly) Yet again, you're about to be introduced to something that popped into my head and wouldn't leave until being released.

I'm thinking of making this a three, or fourshot, and if you wish to see more I'll do my best to finish this during week six or at least seven. So, as long as I've got inspiration there's be a chance of fast updates. Heh.

WARNINGS: YAOI, language, sexual themes, oddness, short chapters…. etc….

BUT annyways, off with the rambling. (grins) 'Hope you'll enjoy the ride!

* * *

**Verse 1: The Invitation**

* * *

/ _'Nervous' was something eighteen-years-old Naruto Uzumaki hadn't been often. Yet that day – as he tried to struggle through his first day of summer working in a tiny café in his hometown Konoha – he couldn't find any other reason to why his muscles wanted to twitch and his heart thumped way too fast._

" _Dude, chill", his best friend Kiba, who'd been working in the place for months already, commanded while swatting his head. " You're hopeless!"_

_He shot a half glare towards his friend. " Easy for you to say – you've settled in, and all I've seen you do if flirt." He winced. " Plus I still have to pay Iruka for wrecking his car – I need this job."_

_Kiba winced as well. " So he was as pissed as he seemed. Not cool." The brunette's eyes then detected something behind him that made the other grin toothily. " You know, I think there's something that may cheer you up." Quite rapidly the young man made the oddest coffee he'd ever seen, mixing pretty much everything imaginable, then handed the drink to him. " Take this to table six, will you? He's ordered this same thing every bloody day I've work here, so I think this'll work. Say it's on the house."_

_He arched an eyebrow, turning his gaze – and blinked twice. Sitting at a nearby table was a young man at around his age he immediately acknowledged as eye-catching. Large black eyes, spiky raven hair he wanted to ruffle, milky skin…_

_His eyebrow rose even higher when he looked back at Kiba. " Are you setting me up?"_

_The brunette gave him a dry look. " Naruto, it's been six months from… _the Sai incident_." Seeing his look the other went on. " So you caught him pants down with the school's biggest slut. So fucking what? Let's face it – it wasn't exactly 'the love story of the century' –material."_

_He snorted. " And you think this is?"_

_Kiba shrugged. " Won't be if you let his coffee grow cold."_

_He groaned, then turned around and started to walk off. " I hate you", he muttered while going._

" _You're welcome", was the snickered response he got._

_At first there was great hope of it all going smoothly. But then – two steps from the stranger – someone's leg was placed to his path, sending him all but flying. And of course, with his luck being what it was, he landed straight against the raven so that they were only inches apart from kissing. The still very much hot coffee he'd been carrying also flew, landing all over the stranger's white shirt._

_The young man hissed violently, quickly taking a napkin to wipe away the liquid. " Fucking damnit…"_

_His eyes widened dramatically. _Oh shit… I'm so gonna get fired…_ He could _not_ lose this job. " Of… crap, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Hurriedly he took a napkin as well, attempting to fix the damage and only ending up making it worse. " I should've looked…!"_

_The raven rolled his eyes, appearing irritated. " Stop fussing already. It's just a shirt."_

_He grinned sheepishly. " Still, 'sorry." He offered a hand. " Naruto Uzumaki."_

_The raven snorted. " I know – your nametag already says that." The young man then looked at him from head to toe, never accepting his hand, finally stopping to his eyes. " Hn." With that the other got up, turned around and left before he could do more than blink._

_Although neither was willing to admit it just yet, they both had a feeling that their meeting was the first chapter of something very notable – good or bad, could only be guessed._ /

* * *

Twenty-three years old Naruto knew most people were excited – ecstatic – a week before their wedding. That's why he was quite confused by the fact that he felt… nothing much, really. Of course he was happy, and he _did_ want this – why else had he proposed? – but… As he watched his wife-to-be making plans with her green eyes filled with excitement, he couldn't help feeling that something was missing.

Fortunately he snapped out of those thoughts when the pinkette lifted her gaze, a smile lighting up her whole face when she saw him. " Hey! How long have you been standing there?"

He shrugged, finding himself smiling a little as well. " A while – I was just thinking." He then approached, darting a curious look towards what she was writing while taking a seat beside her and wrapping his arms around her. " What are you doing?"

Sakura shrugged, leaning against him. " Just a list, so I won't forget everything." She brought her pen against her lips, which he considered cute. " Let's see… I'll go and see the dress tomorrow – I swear, whether she's your adoptive aunt or not I'll strangle Shizune if she's wrecked it. The catering's also been taken care of. Oh, and I sent the invitations!"

He blinked. " You did? How did you know who to invite?"

Sakura chuckled, ruffling his hair. " You gave me your address book, remember? I invited pretty much everyone there." She shook her head. " I swear, the closer we get to the wedding the dippier you get – I hope you'll still remember my name when the time comes."

He barely managed to focus on her, because his thoughts had already sprinted elsewhere. His eyes widened dramatically and color vanished from his face while facts sunk in.

Yeah, he'd given her an address book. _The_ address book – the one that still had Sasuke's address.

Suddenly his heart was thumping much too fast, and he swallowed laboriously.

_Oh… shit…_

" Naruto?" Sakura had a frown on her face when he finally managed to look at her. " What's wrong? You look like you'd seen a ghost."

He managed a pathetic ghost of a smile. " Nah, I just…" He shrugged. " Old, stupid memories, that's all."

Sakura quirked an eyebrow. " Let me guess. An ex?" She knew he was bisexual, so she made no guesses regarding the mysterious person's gender.

He rested his chin against her shoulder so he wouldn't have to meet her eyes. " Yeah… An ex." That was the tidy, simplified way to put it.

He swallowed again, sinking into his memories.

* * *

Meanwhile two hundred miles away, Sasuke glared at the small, rather beautiful white card before him as though it'd been his worst enemy.

… _invite you to the wedding of Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto_ …

" Oh for the love of…" The voice of Suigetsu – his friend, colleague and occasional 'playmate' as the man liked to call himself after 'those nights' – escorted him back to awareness. The man was looking at him with a mixture of amusement, irritation and hidden worry. " _Please_ don't tell me you still haven't demolished that thing."

He shrugged and folded his arms, his eyes straying back to the card although he wouldn't have wanted to see it. " Hn."

" Look, it's been almost two freakin' weeks and you're still staring at it", Suigetsu enlightened him, poking his forehead before he could stop it. " That's not healthy."  
He fought the urge to snort.

_You think I don't know that?_

" Just piss off and leave me alone, will you?" Finally making up his mind he took the card and threw it directly into a nearby trashcan. " I'm a grown man, and I'm capable of taking care of myself – I don't need a mother hen."

Suigetsu snorted. " Yeah, whatever." The man then started to leave, apparently deciding that there was no use in reasoning with him when he was like this. " Just get that report done or Orochimaru's gonna fire you, 'k?"

He shuddered with revulsion.

Wonderful. The memory of Orochimaru was just what he needed to make his day perfect, he mused sarcastically.

He managed to focus on his work for about an hour. Then – as though he'd been possessed or something as annoying – his gaze yet again flew towards the invitation.

His eyes flashed with anger and irritation.

_Damn it…_

Memories spun in a mad flow while he took his phone.

* * *

/ _The second time Naruto and Sasuke met offered much clearer signs of what was to come._

_Eighteen-years-old Naruto had never been as drunk as he was when celebrating in the Christmas party Kiba had decided to orchestrate. He poured down sake, beer and shots in such speed that he'd lost track after the first two hours._

_In the end he was so gloriously wasted that Kiba chose to escort him to catch some air when he almost started out a fight with a guy who was at least half bigger than he. " C'mon, dude. I'm trying to save your life here."_

_And of course with his luck, the raven he remembered very well despite his pitiable state just had to be out there, smoking a cigarette deep in thought. " You", he slurred before managing to stop himself._

_The other's dark eyes turned slowly towards him. " I was wondering how long it'd take before they'd finally kick you out."_

_His eyes narrowed while he walked closer, pointing towards the other with his finger. " You…" Alcohol wiped away whatever he'd been supposed to say, replacing it with the about last thing he'd expected. " Are you gay, or something?"_

The other's eyebrow bounced up while the young man dumped his cigarette. " Yeah, I am. So what?"

_He surprised himself with taking a breath of relief. " Oh thank god." He stepped – or perhaps rather swayed – a step closer. " Because it would've been humiliating to do this to a straight guy…"_

_And with that as his soul warning he charged at the raven's lips, licking and nibbling them with a heat he'd never experienced before. The other was stunned for the first seconds but soon joined to the fight over dominance, slipped a tongue through his eager lips. He wondered if the man's other hand was roaming busily around his groin on purpose, because it made him moan, almost drove him out of his mind. The raven tasted like cigarettes, strawberries and whip cream, which did nothing to ease the tension swelling in his pants._

_The other, apparently, noticed his discomfort, because onyx eyes clashed against his while they parted. " Now aren't you eager."_

_His breath hissed and his eyes blazed while he all but glared at the stranger. " Are you gonna do something about this, asshole?"_

_He got his answer when the raven attacked his lips with such hunger and vigour he'd never experienced before, the hands all over his manhood and hair driving him insane._

_When he woke up the next morning – miraculously enough from his own bed – the stranger wasn't there. Instead he found a call card that had name Sasuke Uchiha and a phone number imprinted to it. He also spotted a single white rose petal._

_He managed to make himself wait for full five seconds before he called._ /

* * *

**TBC or not?**

* * *

A/N: So… Whadda you say – should that one continue for two or three more chapters? Or should I just let this one out of its misery!

**PLEASE**, do review – I really wanna know what you think! (gives puppy dog eyes and offers chocolate chip cookies)

Awkay, because it's AGAIN very late I'm and almost dozing off in front of my computer, I'll tune out now.

Bye for now, folks!

Peace out!


	2. The Meeting

A/N: Heh, told ya there'd be a fast update, didn't I? (grins)

But first, WOAH, now that's what I'd call a reception – so many AMAZING reviews! (faints) You really want to see more, don't you? (sniffs, and hugs you guys) Thank you, from the bottom of my heart – you can't even imagine how happy you made me! **Responses to anonymous reviews** can be found from underneath the chappy, un.

Oh, and before I forget… If you want this story to continue, this'll be a fourshot, un. (grins) Just so ya know.

Awkay, I think it's time to get going. After so many baffling reviews I'm a bit worried as to whether this chappy turns out worthy of them all. (gulps) I really hope you'll have a nice ride!

* * *

**Verse 2: The Meeting**

* * *

/ _Since the rather hot, very drunken night they shared it took Naruto about a month before he finally managed to meet Sasuke again. Following vague hints and a hunch he found the raven from London in New Year's Eve._

_He wasn't sure if he was more amused or irritated when he spotted a familiar raven sitting in a park and started to approach. " You're damn good at making yourself hard to find, bastard."_

_The corners of the other's lips twitched. " Wouldn't you have been disappointed if I'd made this too easy for you?"_

_He blinked twice at the answer he hadn't expected, then scoffed. " Yeah." Attempting to sulk a little despite the way his heart thumped, he took a seat beside the raven. " But you're still a bastard."_

" _Hn."_

_They sat in a silence for a long time, admiring how the first rockets __colored__ the sky and both feeling a sizzle they'd never experienced before._

_Naruto felt as though he'd been a pathetic, insecure and excited five-year-old all over again._

" _Why did you play so hard to get, anyway?" he asked all of a sudden._

_Sasuke snorted, as though asking 'Are you kidding?' without words. " We've only actually met twice, you know? This didn't exactly look like a romance novel."_

_He grinned. " And still you paid me a flight to London." Seeing Sasuke's expression he chuckled. " What – you thought Kiba wouldn't tell me who gave the ticket?"_

_The Uchiha's expression turned dark. " I'm going to kill that moron." _

_Chuckling some more, he gave in to his urges and placed a short, tender kiss to the raven's cheeks, surprised by how soft the other's skin was._

_The Uchiha gave him a questioning look. " So that's how much you love __traveling__?"_

_He smiled and licked his lips, savouring the other's taste. " I can show you just how much tonight." He'd never wanted anyone that much in his entire life._

_Apparently catching on the little game, Sasuke took his turn and gave him a kiss that easily sucked all breath from his lungs, made him feel like he'd been falling and floating at the same time. Not even trying to stop himself he moaned loudly and let his tongue investigate, blissfully unaware of the looks people passing by gave them._

_Once they were finished all he could do was stare and gasp for breath. " Uh…", was the most intelligent comment he could muster._

_He shivered when Sasuke's hand brushed the mighty bulge that'd appeared to his pants. Judging by the look in the raven's eyes, he had a feeling that the other was sporting a similar. " I think we're gonna have to take this inside", the Uchiha murmured._

_Fortunately rockets muffled the sounds delivered that night. Otherwise they would've probably been kicked out of the hotel._ /

* * *

It was a long time from when Naruto had last felt his heart thumping the way it did when he stood in the middle of the airport, his blue eyes fixed firmly on the constantly updating list of arriving flights. He was already almost on his way to rant about the infuriating delay when his steps became halted.

" Stop looking so nervous, dobe." He jumped at the sound of Sasuke's voice before managing to convince himself into turning around. " I'm not going to punch you or anything."

For some moments he was unable to react, for all his focus was fixed on the fact that although they hadn't talked in six months and seen each other even longer the Uchiha hadn't changed at all.

Why did it always feel like no time had passed when he met Sasuke?

Finally he managed to snort, hating how wet and stiff it sounded. " Well, based on that phone conversation we had yesterday I wasn't so sure." For a very long, dangerous moment he almost moved to hug the raven, but in the end his reason managed to convince him otherwise. It was around then he noticed the cast covering the raven's other hand and wrist. A flash of worry appeared, ignoring all the time they'd been nothing even close to a couple. " Dare I ask?"

" No." Sasuke then gave him a somewhat moody glance. " Look… I've just listened to a army of kids screaming at the top of their lungs for a decade, and my wrist is itching like hell."

" Then let's go." He then looked down to see a bag the Uchiha had hard time picking up. They dug simultaneously and his hand twitched when it came an inch from Sasuke's, but finally he managed to grab the raven's bag. " I've already waited two hours, so this place is getting old for me, too."

-

Unfortunately Konoha didn't have an airport, so they had to take a rather long drive to get to Naruto's house.

The first half an hour slipped by in silence until Sasuke snapped back into awareness at the sound of Naruto's voice. " Look… I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the wedding sooner, but… I thought it'd be… too weird, and I couldn't even get a hold of you. And then Sakura sent the cards…" The blond kept babbling in a voice so quiet he couldn't hear it.

He turned his gaze towards the car's window. He had no idea how long the silence had lasted or if Naruto was speaking when his voice worked. " So Sakura, huh?"

There was a pause. " Yeah." He could feel eyes on him. " What's so funny?"

Odd. He hadn't even realized he'd given a dark chuckle before. He shook his head. " You're just an unlikely couple, that's all." _And it's kind of ironic you chose_ her_._

The blond apparently attempted to swat his head, but to it felt far too much like a caress. " Teme." There was a small silence until the man went on. " Look… Thanks, for doing this despite… everything. It means a lot to me, even if we're just friends now. I… never thought you'd come."

" Hn", was what he settled with.

In some other situation he might've snorted at the irony.

Even the first hour hadn't passed, and he was already wondering what the hell had driven him into doing this to himself.

As silence lingered they both sank into a sea of memories.

* * *

/ _About three months after London Naruto and Sasuke were more or less officially dating – or, at least sharing a bed more often than not. And despite Sasuke's frequent disappearances Naruto was very, very satisfied._

_That afternoon it took Naruto's all not to forget their agreement of keeping their relationship a secret and grab Sasuke's hand while they entered a ice-cream bar. " After last night, you're gonna have to buy me a litre of pistachio ice cream! Or no, strawberry. Maybe a bit of vanilla."_

_The raven seemed close to smiling. " Why do I have a feeling that I'll regret this?"_

_He fought the urge to stick out his tongue._

_Suddenly they both jolted a little when hearing a female voice. " Sasuke-kun, I can't believe this!" Turning his head, he found a pink haired young woman at their age all but running towards them, green eyes sparkling. " It's been ages from the last time!" She then spotted him, and arched an eyebrow. " Who's this?"_

_Sasuke seemed to bite down a sigh. " Sakura, this is Naruto. Naruto, meet Sakura." The raven then looked at them both. " Now, can I trust you two to act civilized if I go to order?"_

_He grinned. " Yup. You know me – I'm all about good manners."_

_Sasuke made a scoff while going._

_As soon as Sasuke had left Sakura spoke in a voice that brought him chills. " Naruto, you look like a good kid. But bear this in mind: if you ever hurt him, I'll show no mercy on you. Understood?"_

_Green eyes flashed. " Keep him in one piece, and you won't have to find out." With that she left._

_Naruto's eyebrow was high up while he watched the pinkette disappear. " Now that was weird."_

_He shivered with pleasure when feeling a very comfortable touch on him. " What was?" Sasuke's voice inquired, lingering torturously nearby his sensitive neck._

_He shook his head. " Nah, nothing." He then turned towards the raven. " Now, am I going to get my ice cream or not?"_

_Sasuke rolled his eyes, the corners of his lips twitching a bit. " Brat."_

_Some years later the three of them would find it bitterly amusing how things could spin around in time…_ /

* * *

The drive to his home seemed to take ages to Naruto, with him desperately trying to figure out how he should proceed, how far he could go without poking dangerously thin lines. " We're here", he finally breathed out when pulling off in front of a familiar block of flats.

Sasuke's eyes seemed to darken slightly. " Hn." Obviously the raven wasn't exactly comfortable with being in this place. He would've wanted to say or do something to make Uchiha feel at least a little bit better, but in the end he couldn't come up with anything that wouldn't have jeopardized the frail shell of normality between them.

He sighed, starting to get out of the car. He never noticed that his hand almost brushed the Uchiha's as he moved. " C'mon. It's already late – I bet you want a shower and something to eat."

Sasuke's response was delayed. " Hmph." Apparently that was the most the raven managed to produce around him now.

Swallowing down a lump he couldn't explain he kept walking into the house and towards the right door, pretending that he was really as oblivious as the other seemed to think, that he didn't notice something was out of place. He'd already pushed his key in a lock before his lips finally spoke again. " Look… Like I said, it means a lot to me that you're here despite everything, that you're actually willing to try and be just friends. I know it isn't easy." Seeing the look in Sasuke's eyes he smiled a little before going on. " I… just wanted you to know that."

He wasn't sure how to name the emotion that appeared to Sasuke's face just then, most likely unnoticed by the other man. " Idiot." Finally an actual word.

He rolled his eyes and opened the door.

In a matter of seconds Sakura's voice reached them. " What took you so long? I was already getting worried."

He felt a stab of guilt, only then realizing that he'd been away for six hours without calling her even once. " Sorry, I was just…" His words stopped there, for he had no clue how to explain.

Fortunately, however, it appeared he wouldn't even have to try. Because just then Sakura entered the hall – and gasped when seeing Sasuke. " Gosh!" In a matter of moments she'd sprinted all the way to the raven and pulled him into a huge, tight hug that made Naruto's chest contort uncomfortably. " It's been, what, half a decade! I'm so glad you came!" She then broke the embrace and punched the raven's chest playfully. " Where have you been, anyway? I was already getting worried about you."

Sasuke's eyes strayed towards him for a fleeting second. " I've been… traveling around." The raven seemed to take a deep breath. " Can I take a shower? The flight I just took wasn't exactly a refreshing experience."

Finally regaining some of his wits Naruto nodded slightly too enthusiastically. " Yeah… Um, yeah, of course. There's a guest towel for you." As Sasuke walked off he couldn't keep himself from staring at the raven's back, wondering just how uncomfortable things would get…

" Naruto." Sakura's voice startled him out of his thoughts. There was a look he couldn't recognize on the pinkette's face. " Sasuke… He isn't _that_ ex, is he?"

He blinked, genuinely confused. " Huh?"

Sakura swatted his head, and he couldn't restrain himself from thinking that the gesture didn't feel anything like Sasuke's. " Idiot." Her voice was fond, but also carried a strange side tone.

He couldn't take the chaos in his head anymore. Giving her forehead a chaste kiss he started to make his way towards the kitchen. " Let's make something to eat, 'k? I'm starving."

-

Sasuke's eyes blazed as he stood in a shower, barely able to keep himself from punching the wall.

He'd already called Naruto to tell he was coming, taken what'd definitely been the most uncomfortable flight in his entire life, and now _this_, just to make sure he wouldn't be one of those idiots who couldn't even look at their ex into the eyes, to finally gain a closure. He didn't want Naruto out of his life, but right now he was wondering what the hell had made him think maintaining at least a trace of their bond would be worth _this_.

The shower he took was almost hot enough to burn his skin.

-

Sakura had always had sharp instincts when it came to detecting other people's emotions. That's why she frowned when first looking towards where Sasuke had disappeared, then Naruto who's steps were stiff when leading him towards the kitchen.

Something was going on.

She would've been even more alarmed if she'd known what was running through the men's minds.

* * *

/ _It's often said that a couple's first fight determines the rest. In Naruto and Sasuke's case it started off deviously innocently, as though a storm in a clear day._

_Two months after his nineteenth birthday Naruto yawned like fox and stretched when waking up, grinning a little at the very pleasant soreness in his lower body. Apparently the night before hadn't been a dream, after all._

_He cracked his eyes open – and frowned when finding the other side of his bed empty._

Not again…

_It, however, turned out his worry was premature. For as he scrambled out of the bed and all but dashed into his apartment's kitchen he found Sasuke there. The raven had apparently just finished his half of the breakfast that'd been set for them both._

_He couldn't fight against a smile. " Morning." He took a glass of water, feeling thirsty from the activities in the night before. " I thought you'd left."_

__

The Uchiha visibly swallowed a sigh, getting up and walking up to him. He trembled when feeling the raven's breath in his hair. " I will, in a bit."

He chewed his lip. " Oh." He then trembled and arched his neck with pleasure when the raven kissed his neck rather heatedly. " What… are you doing?"

" _Trying to make you sound a little less disappointed." Sasuke cocked a half playful eyebrow at him. " Are you saying you want me to stop?"_

_His hold on the other tightened. " Don't you dare, teme." He grinned and attacked his lover's neck, making sure he left a mark. " You know… _This_ we've always been good at. But…" He trailed off, not sure how set his words without setting off a sleeping bomb. He kissed the raven's skin lightly to soften the effect of his words. " It's been… what, almost a year." He searched through the onyx eyes, distinguishing a dangerous glimmer in them. " I'd want to get to know you, Sasuke." _

_Sasuke arched an eyebrow. " Why so?"_

_He snorted. " Because that's what a dating couple does, teme – they share everything, they want to know every little detail about each other."_

_Sasuke shrugged, and he could just feel how tense the raven's muscles were. " I do know you – you even told me about that… cat incident."_

_He nodded vigorously. " That's my point. You know my most embarrassing childhood memory – I wasn't even embarrassed to share it. And I don't know a bloody thing about you."_

_Sasuke's expression turned into that of utter discomfort. " Naruto, don't."_

_He frowned, feeling very cold when watching the Uchiha pull on a jacket. " What's so fucking hard about opening up just a little? You could at least tell me where you keep disappearing off to all the time!" He inhaled a deep breath, only to discover that it didn't manage to calm him. " Don't you trust me? Or am I not important enough?"_

" _Because… I don't know, okay?" Somehow it sounded like the raven had been referring to at least half a dozen things with that one, nearly snarled confession. He was fairly sure he saw Sasuke's hands tremble while the man pulled on a jacket. " I've gotta get out of here."_

_Knowing that he was most likely making a huge mistake he grabbed the Uchiha's wrist, so tightly he was surprised the other didn't utter a sound of pain. " You're not walking out on me now, damn it! Not this time."_

_When clashing with his Sasuke's eyes blazed in such a way that might've startled pretty much anyone else. " Let go of me, right now." The raven breathed hard, as though fighting to find enough air. " I don't want to hurt you."_

_In the end his eyes narrowed as he allowed everything that was balling together inside him burst out as barely controllable fury. He let go of Sasuke as though the man's skin had burned. " If you want to run so badly, then go – I don't care. You know where the door is, right?"_

_  
And leave the raven did, slamming the door closed so hard he was surprised it didn't break down._

_Three seconds after Sasuke's departure he finally lost it, and threw the glass he'd been holding straight at the already closed door._

_The soul tear of anger, disappointment, sadness and frustration was the first he shed because of the Uchiha._

_Ironically enough, even though that was their first fight it was also the first time Naruto realized he was falling in love._ /

* * *

Night had already fallen and Sakura was asleep when Naruto made his way to the balcony of his apartment. His heart shuddered although he knew it shouldn't have when he found that he wasn't alone. Sasuke was sitting less than a step away, smoking a cigarette with dark eyes fixed on the smoke that floated upwards in untraceable patterns.

He wrinkled his nose. " Three and a half years, and I couldn't convince you into quitting that damn habit."

The raven shrugged, not looking his way. " I started when I was twelve, dobe. You never stood a chance."

A pale, frail grin appeared. " Maybe. But it was fun trying to distract you from thinking about smoking." He could clearly remember all the 'fun' they'd had during those nights, as well as the sore mornings and afternoons afterwards…

He _knew_ he shouldn't have said that when he saw the way Sasuke stiffened. " Hn."

He sighed heavily, knowing that the moment he certainly hadn't been expecting with joy had appeared. " We've gotta be able to talk about _it_ someday if we ever want to make this stupid friendship thing work."

Sasuke emitted something that sounded like a snort, still not looking at him. " 'Talking' has never been our strongest area."

" Yeah", he stated dryly, his hand instinctively finding a spot the raven had liked to bite particularly often during their 'activities'. " I know." He then steeled himself, his eyes hardening. " But we've still gotta try, or you'll never be able to move and leave all that crap behind."

" What makes you think I haven't already?" the Uchiha all but snarled.

" Well I _don't_ know – that's exactly what I'm talking about!" he exclaimed, flapping his arms a little. " I don't fucking know, because you _never_ talk to me and I haven't been able to contact you for almost six months! Where the hell were you, anyway?" He knew it wasn't any of his business anymore, but for some reason he would've felt better knowing.

Sasuke didn't respond in any way whatsoever.

He breathed in sharply, his head spinning a little although he couldn't understand why. His chest felt very tight all of a sudden, it barely had enough room for his heart. " I'm going back inside", he announced somewhat gruffly, already turning around. " It's way too late for a conversation like this, anyway, and it's freezing out here."

Sasuke didn't make a move to stop him.

As he leant his back heavily against the closed door and lifted his gaze upwards with deep, laboured breaths, he couldn't know that Sasuke had the same memory running through his mind while the raven drew in another breath of smoke.

* * *

/ _A couple of hours after the fight Naruto was finally calm enough to think at least somewhat rationally._

_It was pouring rain outside. He was still mildly pissed, but he couldn't hold himself back._

_The last of his irritation was forgotten the second he entered a park about two kilometres from his house to find Sasuke sitting in a swing. Hard as he tried he couldn't determine whether the raven was fighting against crying, fuming inside or just thoughtful while staring at nothing in particular._

_He approached after a moment, swallowing sigh. " So, teme… Have you let out enough fume now?"_

_The Uchiha eyes narrowed, indicating that something was still smouldering. " Do you think I somehow enjoy being so damn fucked up?" Obviously that was the other's best apology along with unusually dark eyes._

_His eyes softened, and deciding to defy the risk such a move included he __wiggled__ himself into the same swing, so that their faces were mere inches apart. " No." He sighed heavily, partially because meeting no violent reaction – the Uchiha biting his head off or something like that. " And I'm sorry about being such a dick. It's just…" He trailed off._

_Sasuke's shoulders relaxed, and after a moment the man was calm enough to lean forth and rest a chin against his shoulder. " Hn."_

_Of course it was hard for him to play all those emotions out in the open, not knowing if they were or would ever be returned. But…_

_He took Sasuke hand, and smiled when the Uchiha returned his hold after a moment, rubbing the back of his hand with a thumb._

_Maybe he'd found something, someone, that was worth the trouble._

" _You owe me a breakfast for all this running around, though, asshole", he announced after several moments of silence. " And some mind blowing makeup sex after that."_

_He couldn't keep himself from shivering with pleasure and grinning radiantly when the raven nibbled his ear far from coyly. " Dobe."_

_The next day ten white roses had mysteriously appeared to his doorstep. Sasuke showed up again after three more days._ /

* * *

**TBC, right?**

* * *

A/N: So… (gulps) Was that any good, at all? Good enough to be considered worthy of two more chappies?

Gah, it's getting VERY late AGAIN, and I've got a long day ahead of me tomorrow, so I've gotta start tuning out.

**PLEASE**, do leave a review! Awww, c'mon – you know how happy ya guys using that 'lil button makes me. (gives puppy dog eyes)

'Til next time – unless, of course, this should be axed down!

Be good!

* * *

**n**: Yeah, it indeed is kinda cruel that Naruto's getting married and all. (winces) Poor… all three of them, actually! (sniffs)

Awww, I'm so happy to hear you find this story worth continuing! (dances with joy)

Gigantic thank yous for the review! 'Hope I'll be seeing you around.


	3. The Rift

A/N: Heh, it took slightly longer than the last time around, but now I'm finally done with chapter three. Hooray! (jumps up and down until gets hit by several tranquillisers)

BUT, firstly… MAN – thank you so much for those absolutely fantastic reviews! Gosh, this story's getting so much love! (sniffs with joy and HUUUGS) Thank you, from the bottom of my heart!

Oukey, because I think you'd love to get to the business already… (grins) Let's roll! I truly hope you'll enjoy.

* * *

**Verse 3: The Rift**

* * *

/ _In his life Naruto hadn't had a lot of people he'd found meaningful. That's why he considered all those he had precious. Those things considered, it wasn't surprising that a particular wintry day when he was nineteen was one of the worst in his entire life, although it started out deviously sweetly._

" _Dobe, if you don't stop fussing around soon I'll strangle you with the aid of decorations", Sasuke's voice all but snarled._

_He rolled his eyes, but couldn't keep himself from chuckling while he climbed into his boyfriend's comfortably warm lap. " Don't be a Scrooge, teme. I know you love Christmas time."_

_The raven rolled his eyes. " Give me one good reason to."_

_He grinned mischievously. " I'm glad you asked." Enjoying Sasuke's almost hidden confusion he revealed mistletoe, then placed it above them and kissed the Uchiha with such intensity it took all his breath. When they were finished he looked at the raven, and grinned again at the other's expression. " How's that for something to like?"_

_The look that could be seen on Sasuke's face for a millisecond was priceless. " Hn."_

_He was just about to kiss the raven again when his cell phone started to ring. He groaned with irritation. " Don't you dare lose that thought, 'k?" He then picked up. " What?"_

" Naruto Uzumaki?_" It wasn't a voice he would've recognized. " _This is Dr. Kurenai Yuuhi. According to our information you're the next of kin of Jiraiya…_"  
The rest was nothing but a blur to him. The doctor telling him about a freak hit and run accident, the phrases of sympathy…_

_When the phone call finally ended he could only look at Sasuke with blurry eyes, trembling violently._

_The raven frowned, seeming worried although the young man would've probably never admitted it. " What's wrong?"_

_He shook his head, the lump that'd appeared into his throat making it impossible to speak. And before he could stop it tears had started to leak out as though through a crackling damn._

_For a long moment Sasuke merely looked at him, like not quite knowing what to do with him when he was like this, then wrapped one arm around him without saying another word. For several moments nothing more happened. Then – so suddenly it startled him – the raven's slightly cooler hand closed his into its protective hold, as though attempting to shield him from all harm. And suddenly a tiny part of what'd been broken had been put together again._

_At that moment – as he held Sasuke's hand, barely realizing what was going on – he found himself utterly petrified despite the heavy cloud of sorrow._

_Because finally, as he slowly understood just how much this support meant to him, he was forced to admit what he'd managed to deny so far._

_He wasn't only falling in love. He was already long way down._

_That night was the first they spent together without having sex, but it was also the most precious._ /

* * *

It was three days to his wedding, Naruto realized when he opened his eyes that morning, feeling shudders he couldn't explain. Three days until Sakura would walk down the isle towards him and they'd…

He shivered again, then shifted to his side to discover that the pinkette had left. It wasn't until then he remembered she was supposed to try on her wedding dress that morning. For some reason it didn't feel as bad as he'd expected to wake up without her.

He groaned and rolled his eyes while getting up.

It seemed the closer the wedding got the more dangerous the workings of his mind became.

Sighing heavily he got out of the bed and started to head out of the room, hitting his toes on about a million objects on his way.

Today was going to suck, he concluded.

His mind was so consumed by that thought that he didn't notice the apparent signs of approaching danger – the sound of running water, the firmly closed door – until it was much too late. As soon as he opened the bathroom door he was face to face with a very, very naked and wet Sasuke.

And suddenly it felt like he'd stepped backwards in time.

He was confused to find himself disappointed when the raven managed to cover himself before he could see even nearly as much as a tiny, stubborn part of him would've wanted to. Onyx eyes flamed when looking into his. " What the hell are you doing?"

He swallowed thickly. " Leaving." And with that he slammed the door closed far more loudly than would've been necessary.

-

Sasuke leaned his back heavily against the tile wall, not even noticing he was trembling, and groaned.

Wonderful. Like living under Naruto's roof hadn't been hard enough already…

-

It took a full hour before Naruto managed to fish out his cell-phone, and even longer before he could dial numbers. " Help", was all he managed to produce.

About half an hour later he was sitting in a nearby park with a very amused looking Kiba. " So let me get this straight…" The brunette mused for a moment. " Sakura went and invited Sasuke to your wedding, and you actually wanted to torture yourself with insisting him to live in your house for almost a full week. And…" The other whistled. " You _are_ good at sabotaging your relationships."

He rolled his eyes. " Yeah, yeah, I get the picture – I'm the world's biggest idiot and a masochist." The then cast a pleading look towards his friend. " Now would you please tell me how I can keep my sanity intact and keep myself from destroying my marriage before it even starts."

Kiba seemed thoughtful. " You know, I'm not sure you should."

First he blinked, then his eyes widened a fraction. " What?!" He blinked some more. " What the hell are you talking about? You were supposed to knock sense into me!"

Kiba sighed heavily. " I may not be the smartest person, but even I can tell I'm not looking at someone who's moved on." The brunette's cell phone then bleeped as a sign of an arrived text message. The other gave him an apologetic look. " Sorry, I've gotta go."

He scoffed. " You didn't help much, you know?" If anything he was even more confused now.

Kiba shrugged. " I'm no miracle worker, okay? Though…" The brunette mused while walking away. " You've got two options. Come up with reasons supporting each of them and see which one wins. Maybe it's that easy."

He snorted. " Yeah… Easy…"

He sunk into memories once more.

* * *

/ _After a somewhat confusing beginning Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura spent quite a bit of time together. It wasn't always easy, of course – especially with Naruto demanding them to keep the truth of their relationship hidden from everyone – but they managed. After all, little as they acted like such most of the time they were all adults, and friendship was able to conquer a lot._

_That day not long after Naruto's twentieth birthday the three of them sat in a café, enjoying the day without doing anything in particular, he and Sasuke exchanging teasing touches every now and then when they could be sure the pinkette wouldn't notice._

_He didn't manage to stop making circling, very suggestive motions on Sasuke's leg until Sakura's voice caught his attention. " Guys, listen to this", she urged, reading some women's' magazine. " 'How to know he's your soul mate'." She snickered a little. " I've gotta read this one right now."_

" _Why?" Surprisingly enough that came from Sasuke's mouth. " Do you honestly think some stupid test can answer to something like that?"_

_Naruto nearly choked on his coffee. Sasuke wasn't doing _this_, was he?_

_Sakura's eyebrow rose with apparent curiosity. " Oh yeah? Then what can?"_

_The raven shrugged before speaking, obviously not thinking about what he was saying the slightest. " How about reality?"_

_In all honesty Naruto wasn't sure which one was most stunned by the unexpected response – Sasuke, he or Sakura._

_The pinkette blinked several times when looking at Sasuke. " I… didn't know you were dating someone." A sly look then rose to her face. " So… Who's the lucky girl?" Was that… jealousy?_

_Naruto's cheeks burned while he realized that he'd have to stop what was inevitably approaching. He ruffled the raven's hair. " Meh, you know the teme, Sakura-chan. He's a silly little shy guy."_

_Sakura scoffed, swatting his head. " And you're a brat who doesn't know when to shut up."_

_He stuck out his tongue._

_Sasuke, on the other hand, rolled his eyes and moved a little. " In case you're done pestering me, there's something I need to take care of."_

_He frowned, observing Sasuke's face. " Is something up?" He honestly didn't mean to sound as worried as he did._

_Underneath the table Sasuke's hand brushed his knee, immediately making him shiver and some very unwanted tension appear. " Stop looking like a lost puppy, dobe. I'll be back in a bit."_

_He rolled his eyes, bravely fighting back a blush. " Stop flattering yourself, bastard." Nonetheless his eyes barely left the raven while the man walked away and disappeared._

" _Wow." Sakura's voice caught him so off guard that he had to blink once – and blink again when he saw the look on her face. " He's really let you close fast, hasn't he?"_

_He frowned, his hands trembling dangerously. " Why do you think so?" Was she onto something?_

" _I've seen how he acts around you. Heck, he even tries to smile these days", the pinkette remarked, and if he'd been a little less messed up he might've noticed the sad side tone in her voice. " It took me years to get to the point where you two are now."_

_He swallowed thickly, staring at his hands as they squirmed in his lap and working his hardest to keep his breathing at least somewhat regular. " Are… Are you sure?"_

" _Yeah – I think I've been his… friend long enough to know." He felt her look at him although he didn't meet the gaze. " Are you okay? You seem greenish."_

No, I'm not._ Instead, of course, he gave one of his famous grins. " Nah, I'm fine." His legs barely carried while he got up, starting to head out. " Tell… Tell Sasuke I needed fresh air, 'k?"_

_He could feel Sakura's confused eyes on him as he went._

_Once he was outside he searched for support from a wall and closed his eyes, letting his body shake._

_So… Sasuke already considered him close. For him there was nothing scarier – he'd never been good at creating _bonds_._

_Because everything he let close enough seemed to burn out and die._

_He wasn't sure which avoided which, but they didn't meet for a full week after that._ /

* * *

The next morning Naruto was utterly, completely exhausted while pulling on what was supposedly his wedding tuxedo.

Although he'd worked his hardest to chase his thoughts elsewhere, he'd spent most of the night before trying to come up with stupid lists supporting either getting married, going back to what'd already been proven a horrible idea or jumping off the nearest cliff. He'd ended up with nothing more than a void and the headache of a millennium.

" Dobe, have you passed out there or what?"

Sasuke's voice felt like someone had punched his chest, and he blinked twice. " Yeah… I'm coming." His legs surprisingly weak, he stepped out of the dressing room to find Sasuke sitting on a nearby chair. " So…" He couldn't understand why he was mildly nervous. " Does it look utterly horrible?"

-

Although he would've never admitted feeling such a thing Sasuke's head spun a little while he looked – all but stared – at Naruto, who without a doubt looked amazing in his brand new black outfit.

Once again it felt almost painfully hard not to surrender under sweet 'what ifs'…

Instead of showing any of those thoughts he rolled his eyes, with all his determination pushing away the little voices whispering inside his head. " Yeah, yeah, dobe", he commented dryly. " I bet Sakura's going to get a nosebleed."

Naruto grinned, obviously just as oblivious as always.

For the first time in his life he was relieved when his pager decided to send an alarm just then. He took a look at the message, then bounced up from his chair almost fast enough to feel dizzy. " As amusing as this all is, I've gotta go."

-

Naruto frowned when looking at Sasuke's distancing back. Something wasn't right.

Was all this really _that_ hard for the Uchiha?

" Hey." Before he could do a thing to control himself he'd marched to the raven and grabbed the man's wrist so that the other jolted barely traceably. " I'm not letting you walk out on me like that again, got it?"

The Uchiha snorted when turning slowly towards him. " I've gotta go, okay, dobe? This is nothing personal."

He barely heard, because it was then he realized they were stood only centimetres away from each other. It would've been so very easy to just…

His heart pounding, he leaned a fraction closer – then stopped himself with such a force that his head jerked backwards.

_No_. He would _not _walk through this road again.

He swallowed, his throat tight and sore. " I've gotta go, too." He never remembered to take off his outfit, which caused the salesman to sprint after him, while he did what he'd become extremely good at thanks to Sasuke.

He walked away. The Uchiha didn't follow.

Both of them found the same day from their memories.

* * *

/ _Days, weeks and eventually months passed, but nothing happened. In many ways life returned to normal for a twenty-one and a half years old Naruto. And the amusing part was that as scared as he was of commitment, he felt disappointment. For as insecure and doubtful as he felt at times – especially with Sasuke's still ongoing disappearances – he soon realized that a part of him had been dreaming of having something solid for once in his life. And eventually he came to a conclusion that if Sasuke was too much of a chicken to move things forth, he'd do it instead._

_Yes, that day of rather cold spring did change their relationship forever, but unfortunately not in the way Naruto would've wanted. For as he walked towards what he discovered to be a jewellery store he saw the about last thing he would've wanted to witness._

_When he first saw Sasuke he almost grinned and lifted his hand, until the scene played out. For the raven wasn't alone – walking with him was a boy with bluish, somewhat long grown hair and pale eyes. At first the scene seemed perfectly innocent, but then Sasuke shifted closer to the other and the two wrapped their arms around each other, seemed to go as far as kiss in the middle of the street._

_His eyes widened with utter disbelief, and he emitted a tiny, wounded sound while a searing sensation appeared into his eyes._

No, no, NO…

_Sasuke would _not_ have done this to him. There… There was no way… _

_But as the other boy held Sasuke even tighter and the raven fell closer once more – back still to him – he realized that hard as he tried, he couldn't come up with excuses. Finally everything had a reasonable explanation. All those disappearances, the distance Sasuke seemed to keep…_

_He felt used, furious and sick to his stomach, and it took his all not to throw up there and then. Breathing became so hard that he started to feel dizzy._

_He'd have to get away before he'd make another huge mistake, he realized. And that's why he turned around sharply, stumbling as he did so, and all but ran away._

_It was tragic, really, that he didn't turn around to see the worry on the boy holding Sasuke, that he walked away without seeing the hassle that started out. That his fear of bringing relationship to the next level blinded his eyes._

_Five hours later he was sitting in a bar, having consumed so much alcohol he could barely sit upright. It was a miracle he hadn't been thrown out, he might've mused in some other state. And, of course, his drunken mind ended up making a bad decision._

_He shivered when feeling a touch on his shoulder. " Naruto?" Turning his head towards the voice he barely recognized in his state he found Sakura. The pinkette frowned, seeming just as wasted as he was. " What's wrong?"_

_The last thing he remembered of that night was her soft, drunken touch._ /

* * *

Naruto knew it wasn't a great idea to get himself into a lot of trouble so close to his wedding, but after all those memories and the much too confusing few days he'd had he just couldn't hold himself back in the bachelor party Kiba arranged for him.

He was barely coherent enough to recognize the way his heart jolted when instead of Sakura Sasuke opened the door of his apartment when Kiba dragged him in. He sent mental curses towards his best friend when the brunette all but threw him into the somewhat confused raven's arms. " He's all yours", the man announced before walking away, leaving him under the Uchiha's mercy.

Memories and alcohol making him bitter, he narrowed his eyes and tried to vigour away from the raven's hold, only to fall closer instead. " 'et go."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. " Why do I have a feeling that this isn't going to be fun?"

Just then Sakura walked into the room. " Naruto, are you home already? What…?" She then noticed his state, and seemed to hold back a sigh. " I'll go and get the painkillers."

As much as he would've wanted to Naruto was in no condition to fight back when Sasuke guided him rather roughly to a couch, then helped him lay down. " There. Don't you dare fall off, all right? I'm going to get some sleep."

The raven never made it more than two steps away before his hand grabbed the man's wrist with a nearly painful force, holding on determinedly. " Why?"

Sasuke turned to look at him with a frown. " Why what?"

No matter how hard he tried he couldn't get the ton of thoughts past his tongue.

_Why the hell did it go so wrong? Why did we get so lost? Why did you come here? Why didn't you come to the bachelor party?_

It says a lot about his mental state at the moment that he didn't even realize he passed out.

-

Sasuke sighed heavily when watching Naruto fall into a deep sleep that'd most likely turn very troubled soon. His eyes turned several shades darker than usual.

_Damn idiot…_

" So he passed out?"

" Hn." Sakura's voice aroused a storm of emotions inside he wasn't ready to face, so he turned fully away from Naruto instead and started to walk away. " I'm going to bed."

" Sasuke, wait." Sakura's voice was so filled with something close to anguish that he just had to obey. Did he hear her gulp? " Look… He still doesn't know, okay? And I really think he'd deserve to. You…"

His gaze silenced her effectively, although a pleading look remained. " Sakura, _no_." He was surprised to find his voice that firm. " This crap so far… It's enough. There's no need for more, understood?"

Sakura's eyes flashed with mixed feelings. " I don't understand why you don't just tell him – you were his best friend, and he cares about you."

He grit his teeth. " We've been through this already."

Sakura sighed, obviously knowing there was no changing his mind. " Goodnight, Sasuke", was all she said, although he could tell there was a ton more on her tongue. With that she left.

-

Already before she did so, Sakura knew turning around would be a bad idea. Yet she could've never imagined how much so. Her eyes darkened when she noticed Sasuke returning to Naruto once more. The raven's face carried an unreadable expression when he moved one strand of stray hair from the blonde's forehead, then covered the other man with a blanket before leaving the room through another door.

She leaned against the wall behind her, the tightness that'd lingered in her stomach since Sasuke's arrival intensifying.

She could only wonder how messy things would get, because now she finally knew.

So Sasuke really was _an_ ex, just like she'd feared. And not just any ex. He was _the_ ex.

* * *

/ _When Naruto woke up the morning after seeing Sasuke in the arms of another – the mental image of that embrace much too fresh in his mind – the first thing he felt was a huge, all consuming headache._

_He groaned loudly, bringing a hand to shield his eyes although they were closed. " Crap…"_

" _There's a glass of water and two pills of painkillers on your bedside table. I suggest you take them before you end up hammering your head against the wall to chase the pain away."_

_His heart practically stopped as he recognized the voice, and his eyes flew open, instantly narrowing against the blinding light. It took several moments, but in the end the picture of a person stood nearby – putting on her jacket – was much too clear. He swallowed thickly. " S – Sakura…?" His eyes widened, and nausea crept up his throat. " Oh fuck…"_

_Seeming to click with his trail of thought the pinkette rolled her eyes. " Naruto, stop looking like that – nothing happened. You passed out about two minutes after we got here." She then frowned, obviously worried. " What's wrong, anyway? Is this about you and some girl?"_

_Suddenly the nausea from before multiplied, and he actually gagged dryly. " I don't want to talk about it", he produced as quickly as he possibly could, looking away._

" _Okay." Steps distanced – apparently Sakura was smart enough to leave. " I'm not talking to you when you're in that condition. But I do hope you get everything worked out."_

_His eyes narrowed, filled with moisture. " Bye, Sakura."_

" _Bye." Her voice was somewhat defeated. " I'll call you later."_

_He closed his eyes while the first tears escaped. " 'K." He was already in a fitful sleep almost before the word was out._

_He jolted back into awareness when hearing the shrill dial tone of his cell phone, and almost picked up, thinking it was Sakura. He, however, froze completely when realizing that the call was coming from Sasuke._

_He stared at the phone for the longest time, all his cells begging him to accept the phone call despite everything. His finger twitched above the picture of a green handset._

_In the end he put, practically threw, the cell phone away and buried his face into his hands, emitting an animalistic moan of utter agony._

_He didn't think he'd ever be ready for the talk they'd need to have._

**-**

_Sasuke frowned when putting away his phone, his chest feeling far tighter than usual._

_Something was badly wrong, he could just feel it._

" _You know cell-phones are not allowed here." Although Tsunade's voice was gentle, it made him shudder a little._

_Forcefully shoving his thoughts elsewhere, he turned his gaze towards the far too pale figure who lay in the bed before him. During the six hours he'd spent in the room Itachi hadn't moved an inch, and it unnerved him. " Has there been any improvement?" He was so exhausted that his voice remained monotonic despite the chaos inside his head._

_He didn't turn to look but sensed the look on the doctor's face. " We're still waiting for the latest test results. I'm afraid only time will tell." He then sensed Tsunade's eyes move to him, and felt repulsed by the carefully hidden pity. " But now… Are you ready for the tests?"_

_He nodded stiffly, feeling even sicker than before. He couldn't rip his gaze off of his unconscious brother, and although he knew it was selfish and stupid he couldn't restrain himself from thinking that what if he, too… " Yeah", he all but bit out. " Let's get this over with."_ /

* * *

**TBC, right?**

* * *

A/N: Oh noes…! (sniffs) Those bakas – Sasuke's being a real teme, and Naruto's subconsciously sabotaging everything between the two of them… (swats both of them, then manages to grin a little) Man, did that make me feel better!

Heh, awkay, it's VERY late and I've gotta get up insanely early tomorrow, so I'm tuning out. If you want one, the next and last chappy will be out in a few days, or at least before week seven is over. (grins)

'Til then PLEASE review – you know how much that means to me! (glances pleadingly)

'Hope I'll see ya all next time!

Peace out!

* * *

**POLL**: I'm thinking about going through with something I've been planning on for a long time - a MPREG three/fourshot. Do ya guys think I'd get any interest...?


	4. The Closure

A/N: So it took longer than a few days – thanks to my recently deteriorated updating frenzy – but at very least I managed to complete this story before the end of week seven, as I promised. (grins radiantly)

But first off… GOODNESS – HUUUGE thank you for those unbelievable, amazing reviews! (glomps, and showers with special treats) You guys have been an incredible audience to write to, you know? So THANK YOU! (sniffs a little)

Awkay, because I know you're pretty anxious to know how this one's gonna end (I can see those weapons, you know?), let's get down to it, un! I truly hope you'll like this ending.

**REVISED VERSION.**

* * *

**Verse 4: The Closure**

* * *

/ _Ten days after he'd seen Sasuke with another Naruto finally gathered his courage and decided to look for the raven, who'd been missing once again until then. He was surprised and – although he tried to tell himself he shouldn't have cared – worried to discover the door of the Uchiha's apartment unlocked._

_After gathering himself for a long time he finally stepped in, his legs slightly weak. " Sasuke? Are you here?"_

_The only response he got at first was the sound of someone throwing up gloriously. " Just… go away, Naruto."_

_Of course he wasn't one to obey such a command. A burst of determination hitting him he moved once more, walked up to the bathroom. His stomach squirmed uncomfortably with several emotions when the found he raven down on his knees before a toilet, seeming a lot paler than usual. " Hangover?"_

_Onyx eyes were slightly hard when meeting his after some seconds. " What… are you doing here?"_

_What he was supposed to do sinking in once more he shivered, feeling cold, and wrapped his arms defensively around himself. It took a lot of him to keep all his emotions in check. " I… I __saw__ you, Sasuke." It was surprising that although his voice shuddered just a little it was nonetheless firm and almost cold. " With that other guy. I know your little secret."_

_For several moments Sasuke stared at him as though he'd spoken in a foreign language. Then, so swiftly it scared him, the man's eyes hardened dangerously. " Is that how little you trust me?" It seemed to require some difficulty, but eventually the raven managed to stand up and walk to him with a stern, nearly disappointed expression. " I've been cheated on before, and I'd never, ever do that to you. Do you understand, dobe?"_

_It took a moment before those words sunk in and much longer before Naruto accepted them, but eventually he scoffed somewhat wetly. " You better give me some proof, bastard."_

_As a response the raven kissed him hard. He didn't give a damn about the fact that Sasuke had just thrown up. Feeling heated beyond any belief and absolutely everything inside him throbbing with want he pulled the raven close rather violently and threw his all against the other man. Lack of oxygen, dizziness and other minor things meant nothing while they melted into each other._

_As much as they of them enjoyed that day, they both had a feeling that the conversation had been the first sign of an approaching storm._ /

* * *

Naruto could barely breathe while sitting in front of a mirror in his bedroom, staring at the image looking back at him as though mocking.

Everything should've been perfect and prepared. He was wearing his tuxedo, his hair had been taken care of, and he knew there was a church full of people as well as Sakura waiting for him to appear. But still the annoying, dull throbbing wouldn't disappear from his chest. It felt like a piece of him had been missing, and he had a feeling that wasn't something he should've experienced only hours before his wedding.

He actually shivered a little when there was a knock, although he pretty much knew who it was. " Yeah?"

After a couple of moments Sasuke opened the door with an expression he couldn't read. " So you're ready."

He wished he could've turned around, met the Uchiha's eyes in something more than a mirror image, but it seemed all strength seeped from his muscles.

" It's time", the raven announced in a voice he didn't recognize.

He nodded, losing himself to examining how the Uchiha looked like in a tuxedo, the one open button of a shirt clearly visible with the absence of a tie. His hand moved, and it was almost too late before he finally managed to stop it from reaching backwards.

A tiny, frail grin that was painfully clearly a faked one crazed his lips while he took a deep breath. " Then let's get going."

Something he hadn't seen in a long time flashed momentarily in Sasuke's onyx depths. Then, without saying a word, the man walked on and fastened a single white rose to his clothing, precisely above where his heart was hammering furiously.

He looked at Sasuke with confusion. " What was that for?"

The expression he met wasn't such he would've been able to name. " Hn. Just for luck." As the raven turned around quite forcefully, turning his back on him with a gesture that seemed a lot like a closure, he couldn't control himself. Almost frantically – as though he'd feared the man might disappear forever if he didn't do something – he grabbed the Uchiha's hand, holding on tight. " Hey, look…" He swallowed thickly, finding it hard to hold back tears all of a sudden. " I… I'm sorry you had to do this. I'm… I'm sorry. But…" He trailed off, not sure what he wanted to say.

It took several moments, but in the end Sasuke's hand tightened just a little around his. He was fortunate enough to not notice how the raven's shoulders quivered the slightest bit. " Dobe." It came out so softly it almost broke his heart. With that they left the apartment, never noticing that they were still holding hands.

* * *

/ _After four months had passed from when Naruto and Sasuke managed to clear air, it became apparent that things wouldn't be the same between them. When such a door of mistrust had been opened it was hard to close it again._

_Quite late that night they were both tired and upset – though not drunk – when entering the Uchiha's apartment._

_Naruto rolled his eyes with exasperation when noticing just how sharp the raven's motions were while the man took off his jacket, then walked into the kitchen. He followed although he had a feeling it might turn out to be a mistake. " Sasuke, you've gotta be kidding me!" he exclaimed, gesturing with his arms. " It was just a game of spinning a bottle, okay? Gaara was drunk and he'd accepted a bet. You can't honestly think…" He trailed off, coming to a realization that he was being hypocrite. With all the crap between them, how the hell was either one of them supposed to be sure?_

_Sasuke's eyes were somewhat dangerous when finally meeting his, for the first time in over two hours. " Do you have any idea how hard that is to believe?"_

_His eyes hardened and stung so badly that water almost broke. This was something he couldn't handle. " If this is how little we trust each other… Then what's the point in going any further?" If the heat on his cheeks was a blush or tears, he didn't want to know. " I… I'm sick of doubting myself, Sasuke. And I'm sick of doubting you. I can't go on like this anymore."_

_" Then get the hell out of here." Those words and the sound of Sasuke's voice nearly startled him, and he just had to look at the Uchiha. Onyx eyes were burning with something he'd never seen in them before. " You've made up your mind, and frankly I'm fed up with this as well. So why are you still standing there? Get out."  
Naruto staggered a step backwards, his eyes widening the slightest bit. Those words… They sounded so final…_

_In the end, however, he was just too tired and angry – with himself or Sasuke, he didn't know. His eyes narrowed as he turned around sharply. " Fine." His steps were uncomfortably loud while he walked up to a door and opened it, his heart hammering in a foreign rhythm. " I'll tell Kiba to bring you your stuff tomorrow."_

_Sasuke didn't say a word._

_Never had the sound of a door closing hurt his ears as badly as it did then._

_He never knew about the one proud tear that slipped from Sasuke's hold._ /

* * *

While sitting in one of the church's various tiny rooms Naruto couldn't rip his gaze off of the clock that ticked on inevitably.

One and a half hours to his wedding. Then one. Then half. And in the end only fifteen minutes. With each and every minute what felt like a rope around his neck kept growing tighter, almost enough so to make him choke.

_It's okay to have cold feet, right?_, he questioned himself. _It's perfectly normal to hesitate a little. That's what everyone says._

Yet he had a feeling something was deeply wrong, because he shouldn't have been feeling like he'd burst into tears any given moment. He should've been able to forget what Sasuke's skin had felt like, should've been able to push aside all those damn memories.

He groaned, rubbing his face with both hands.

_What am I doing?_

So consumed by that thought he was, that he jumped and yelped with startle when the room's door opened, then blinked when spotting Kiba stood by the doorway. " Huh?" He blinked again. " What… are you doing here?"

The brunette's eyes hardened. " I came to talk some sense into you", the man announced somewhat gruffly, folding his arms. " Because I can't let my best friend do something like this to himself."

He frowned. " Do what?"

" Live your life in a lie." Slightly forcefully Kiba offered him an unclosed envelope, a strange look on his face. " Sakura told me to give you this if I see it fit – she figured I know you well enough to be able to determine. I really think you should read this before you make a huge mistake."

His frown deepened still as he fished out a letter. " What the heck is this?"

Kiba's eyes flashed. " Something that may change the way you think about this so called marriage." The brunette then turned around. " We're waiting for you in ten minutes, whatever you've decided. Just remember that no one's gonna judge you, okay?" With those mysterious words his best friend had disappeared.

As soon as the man was gone he started to read, unable to hold himself back. The further he got the colder he felt.

' _Naruto,_

_I know it's my wedding day and I should be overjoyed, but I feel repulsed and mad at myself, because I've been keeping secrets from you._

_I know about you and Sasuke – I just found out, actually. That's why I need to do this, before it's too late to prevent the mistake._

_What if I told you that there's an explanation to everything? That Sasuke distanced himself from you for a reason, that everything between you wasn't just a mistake? He really needs you right now, Naruto, would've needed you a long time ago when I snatched you away. He told me to never say anything to you, but I can't keep my quiet any longer, not when I know how much you both still care about each other. He's suffered long enough, you both have. Someone needs to do something._

_Listen to your heart carefully. If you still want to go through with this wedding I'm glad, and I'll be waiting for you. But if your mind's been changed I understand. I just don't want my marriage to start out on a lie._

_Sakura_'

Once more he groaned and closed his eyes, finding it almost impossible to keep tears from coming.

Because as clearly as he finally remembered how things had ended between Sasuke and him, it seemed to memories were also more distant than ever before.

And for the first time he openly wondered if those feelings he'd once had were as buried as he'd thought.

* * *

/ _Troubled as he'd known Sasuke to be, Naruto would've never expected he'd have to bail the raven out from a prison._

_Only two days after his twenty-second birthday, he sighed heavily when seeing the dark figure hunched into the very back of a tiny, stinking cell. " Is he your friend?" the guard stood behind him inquired._

_He nodded stiffly, barely managing to believe such a surreal conclusion himself. " Yeah." Yes, that was Sasuke – that was the guy with whom he'd been fighting what felt like only seconds earlier, the guy with whom he'd spent all those nights, whom…_

_He shivered when the guard patted his shoulder and opened the cell's door. " Good luck, then."_

_He barely heard while he all but swayed a step forward. Suddenly it was very hard not to feel bitter and irritated. " You better give me one hell of a good reason to why I'm bailing you in that condition, bastard."_

_Instead of responding Sasuke leaned backwards and rested his head against the cell's wall with closed eyes, emitting a somewhat broken groan._

_He frowned, worry and something even deeper swelling in his chest. " Sasuke?" Slowly he reached out a hand to touch the raven's cheek. The skin underneath his fingertips twitched furiously under tears that without a doubt wanted to erupt. " Hey…"  
The raven's jaw tightened before nearly glimmering onyx eyes rose to meet his confused blue ones. " There's… something I want to show you."_

_He knew he didn't have to care, that it might've been the best considering his sanity to just walk away. But he'd never been blessed with too much rationality, and that's why he nodded without much of a hesitation._

_Due to Sasuke's condition it took them a while to reach their destination, and when they did Naruto found himself blinking rapidly several times._

A… cemetery?

_He found himself unable to speak while they made their way through rows of headstones, finally stopping before a certain one on the far edge of the cemetery that opened a view to a lake. When he read the names he gasped, nearly took a step backwards._

_Fugaku Uchiha, Mikoto Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha, the latter of which had died only such a short time ago in a painfully young age…_

_It took what felt like forever before Sasuke finally spoke, refusing to look at him. " You… always asked about my family. This is the furthest to meeting them you'll ever get."_

_There was a long moment of heavy silence until he swallowed thickly and whispered, barely daring to utter the words. " Is… Is this where you always disappear off to?"_

_" Hn." Sasuke's eyes seemed all but moist, although the raven visibly fought tears. " Sometimes."_

_If the situation had been some other – a little less fragile, a little less beautiful – he might've spat out a bitter question._

Why the hell couldn't you be this open before it was too late?

_In this case, however, he wrapped first one arm and soon both of them around the raven he'd never realized was so frail, as though attempting to keep the wavering pieces together._

_In many ways they returned to the past that night. Such moans and other sounds of pleasure that disturbed their __neighbors__ were delivered as they surrendered under what both had been longing for so long, came hard into each other._

Unfortunately the following morning was also a return to the past, for Naruto woke up alone, only a single rose and the briefest of notes left for him.

' I'm sorry, dobe. But one of us needs to stop this.'

_That day he quite unexpectedly stumbled to Sakura for comfort. And fate spun forcefully._ /

* * *

Naruto's heart had never before jumped in the rhythm it'd chosen while he stood by the altar, his head spinning with about a million emotions he wasn't even close to ready to face. No matter how hard he tried to convince himself he was doing the right thing his heart didn't seem to believe it.

And then the huge double doors opened, letting in the bride and all but sealing his fate.

As Sakura approached, instead of the woman his eyes turned to meet Sasuke's, finally taking in all the ache that still lingered in them despite all the years passed. Finally his eyes were open to see everything. His gaze blurred as he turned it away, the ache in his chest becoming too much, and he forced himself to focus on Sakura's green eyes, which were filled with nervousness and anticipation while she took a stand beside him.

_What the hell am I doing?!_

He barely heard the priest's first words, registered everything there was going on around him only scarcely. All he could focus on was the sound of a door closing when Sasuke walked out of the church, this all apparently becoming too much for the raven.

When he finally caught on once more, he heard the words much too clearly. " … you, Naruto Uzumaki…"

" I…" The lack of words startled him, and his eyes were widened when meeting Sakura's sad yet unsurprised ones. " I…" _I'm so sorry._

The amount of hurt he saw in Sakura's eyes was almost enough to break his heart although his feelings were finally clear. " I know", she murmured in a tone he'd never heard from her mouth before. " I just hope you'd known earlier." And so – even in the current strange situation loyal to her nature – she gathered all her grace, lifted her chin and turned around, then walked away without the slightest weaver in her steps.

Naruto might've been relieved by the act, had he not known that she'd break down as soon as she was out of everyone's sight.

It took several moments before he finally realized that all the attention of every single guest in the church was now fixed on him. They whispered and murmured, exchanged knowing glances and nods. It took only moments before it all became too much for him, especially with all the mess there was in his head.

He'd never been one to give a damn about grace or dignity. That's why he felt no shame when all but running out of the building, gasping as though the place had been suffocating him. He had no idea where he was headed, nor did it matter as long as it was far enough.

* * *

/ _Paris was colder than Naruto had ever expected and he shivered while he stood by the edge of Seine six months after bailing Sasuke out from a prison, waiting anxiously._

_" Why did you invite me here?" Although he'd been waiting the voice caught him off guard. Turning around, he met Sasuke's frown. " I thought we were through."_

_He shrugged, realizing it was the only gesture he could muster. " I just… I heard you're here on a business trip, and I…" Yeah, what? He had no clue. " It's been six months, and I'm still desperately trying to remind myself of why we broke up."_

_Sasuke's eyebrow bounced up. " So you came all the way to Paris because you're having regrets?" The raven turned around, starting to walk away. " We broke up because we couldn't stand being around each other, remember that now? So don't waste your time on trying to sugar coat those memories."_

_  
" I'm… I'm going to propose to someone soon, okay?" He swallowed hard, his eyes very sore all of a sudden. " I… I promised myself that if I'd get my head sorted out, I'd propose as soon as I get home. So…" _So, if you still feel this way, too, please tell me.

_Very slowly Sasuke turned around, then – faster than he could gasp – placed a long, slightly harsh kiss to his lips. Obsidian eyes were filled with a storm when looking at him. " You need to stop running after something that'll never be more real than that." So saying the Uchiha turned around and started to walk away._

_Too stunned to do a thing – to act as his heart would've desperately wanted – he brought his hand to his lips, staring at the raven's back as the man walked away from him._

_It was the last time they met before his and Sakura's wedding._ /

* * *

It took hours before Naruto finally made it home. And when he did, he finally realized just how much there was to be dealt with after the disastrous 'wedding'. Because he found Sasuke packing up.

The Uchiha didn't even look up when hearing his steps. " Kiba called me and told what happened." There was a tense pause. " In case you're wondering, Sakura's not here. I haven't seen her since the church."

Had he possessed the strength for such, he would've snorted.

_Do you honestly think that's all I care about?_

At that moment Sasuke finally met his eyes with a frown. " Why did you do that, anyway? I thought you wanted to marry her."

He shrugged, feeling teary and nauseated. " So did I." He swallowed against the bitter taste in his throat. " Not the first time I was wrong." He then frowned. " You… You're not leaving, right?" He couldn't understand why he was surprised, even hurt. He could only imagine how painful staying this long had been to the raven, and things were bound to get even more awkward.

" Hn." Sasuke seemed to restrain a sigh while finishing up the process of packing. " I have to go, dobe. There's… something important I need to do." The torn look in the raven's eyes nearly broke his heart. The man then handed him something – it turned out to be a beautiful necklace that held a bluish jewel of some sort. " I… was supposed to give you this, as a wedding present."

He looked at the raven with shock. " But… that was your mother's…!"  
The man shrugged somewhat sharply. " I… don't need it anymore." It seemed the raven would've wanted to do or say something else entirely, but in the end only grabbed his bag and started to head towards the door instead. " Bye, Naruto." It sounded far too much like 'goodbye'.

Naruto stood absolutely paralyzed, holding the necklace in a madly trembling hand, his eyes wide and teary. Hard as he tried he couldn't bring himself to say 'don't go', 'bye', or even 'thank you'. His head was too messed up by everything that had happened. He was too tired to think straight, to sort out the mess of feelings swelling in his chest.

It wasn't until about an hour after Sasuke had closed the door he finally came to realize just how huge of a mistake he'd done.

He'd never felt that lonely in his entire life.

* * *

/ _Naruto jumped several inches when his cell phone snapped to life. It took several moments before he managed to respond, especially after seeing who the caller was. " H – Hey."_

_" _I got the invitation._" Sasuke's voice was far sharper than he'd remembered, carried something he couldn't name. There was a long pause. " _Do you honestly want me there, with all the crap between us?_"_

_He swallowed laboriously, finding it very tempting to whisper ' No'. Yet in the end… " You… You're important to me, Sasuke." He couldn't comprehend why his voice was as soft as it was. " It's going to be hard, but…" He trailed off._

_There was another pause, even longer than the last. " _I'll see you tomorrow._" With that Sasuke hung up._

_It was around the Naruto started to realize just how messy things were about to get. _/

* * *

Some hours later Sakura was sitting in a bar, finding it extremely hard to make any sense to that day's events.

To think that the very same morning she'd been pulling on her wedding dress, preparing herself for becoming Mrs. Uzumaki, and now…

" Hey, are you okay in there?" The male voice startled her so badly that she almost yelped while lifting her gaze to find a man at her age with shortcut black hair on pot haircut, and black eyes. He seemed genuinely concerned, which made her feel pathetically good.

She arched an eyebrow, taking down the rest of her bitter drink. " What makes you think I wouldn't be?"

He shrugged, pouring a generous dose of a cocktail of some sort to a class. " When a woman who looks like you is sitting in a bar wearing a wedding dress, it's a pretty clear sign."

She blushed, mostly owing to alcohol. ." Yeah, I guess." Then, her sanity numbed by alcohol, she outstretched a hand. " I'm Sakura."

He nodded, accepting the gesture and offering the drink to her with his free hand. " I'm Lee, and it's very, very nice to meet you." He then seemed to come to think of something. " The drink's on the house, by the way. I really hope you'll still remember me in the morning, though."

That, she did.

* * *

Five days after his so called wedding, having endured several sleepless nights, Naruto took a look at the rose Sasuke had given him, which was the only memory of _that_ day he'd kept. And finally he understood what both Kiba and Sakura had been talking about. Less than a day later found himself doing what he probably should've done years ago. He started a nearly desperate hunt for Sasuke, who seemed to have disappeared from the face of the planet. The raven wasn't much help with this job, for the man accepted none of his about a hundred phone calls – not that the said fact would've surprised him the slightest after all that'd happened. In the end he ran into one of Sasuke's friends (who turned out to be the same guy he'd once thought he'd seen kissing the raven), Suigetsu. After he'd shed an embarrassing amount of tears and all but punched the man he finally managed to find the Uchiha from about the last place he would've thought of searching from.

The hospital.

He didn't know how long he'd been wandering around the surgical ward – his mind too jumbled to really determine what he should've done – until a female doctor with long blonde hair on a ponytail appeared right before him. Tsunade, said her nametag. " Are you looking for someone?"

He swallowed thickly, trying to piece his thoughts together enough to produce something the woman would be able to comprehend. " I… Sasuke, he's here, right?" _Good job_, Naruto, a sarcastic part of his brain congratulated dryly. _That was convincing._

Tsunade folded her arms. " I'm sorry, but I can't give any information to anyone but members of family."

At those words he felt tears well in his eyes, and he knew breaking down was close. " I _am_ the closest thing to a family he has!" he all but cried out. " I… He… He's _important_ to me, okay? So, please, just…" He trailed off, feeling anxious and defeated.

Something that looked like understanding flashed by Tsunade's eyes. " You're Naruto, aren't you?" Seeing his expression, she sighed heavily. " Look… I'm fairly sure he hasn't told you anything, and I don't have time for details, so I'm putting this shortly. Sasuke's condition is something that runs in his family – it's extremely rare, but we do know it puts his body through a lot of strain, and he's been forced to run in dialysis and other forms of treatment for a long time. This illness claimed the lives of his mother and brother, but he has a much milder version so I'm cautiously optimistic. But you should know that there are still many problems, including the kidney transplant he's finally going to get today." Her eyes turned stony. " Are you absolutely sure you're willing to take the chance of getting hurt? Because I'm not letting you in just so you can walk right back out."

To Naruto, everything finally made so much sense it felt like a hit right across his face. He swallowed once more, feeling dizzy and fully ready to throw up. Yet there was no hesitation in him. " Can… Can I see him?"

Tsunade motioned him to follow after debuting, and led him to a nearby door. " You've got five minutes."

He barged in without fear – only to find himself freezing two steps from the door.

Never, ever had he expected Sasuke to be able to show such surprise the Uchiha did when finally realizing that it truly was he stood there, right before those tired, bewildered and lost onyx eyes. " What the…?" The rest faded away.

His eyes and chest filled with something he couldn't explain, and suddenly it was very hard to hold back emotions. " Did you really think I'd never find out?" he all but murmured, fighting the urge to just run all the way to the raven and pull him into a hug.

Sasuke's eyes flashed with something he was almost willing to call fear before the raven looked away. " I never wanted you to find out."

Naruto took several deep breaths. At the moment he wasn't sure which one he was madder at – Sasuke for hiding something like this, or himself for not seeing the signs that'd been so very visible now that he looked back to it. " Teme…" His legs trembled as he finally approached and sat to the bedside, his head whirring so that he could barely grasp on the workings of his mind. " Why… Why didn't you tell me, before it was too late?"

Onyx eyes were incredibly tired when meeting his. " What would you have done with that information, dobe?"

As his response, he slipped his hand gently into the raven's and emitted a deep, badly shuddering sigh. " I would've never, ever let go. I would've been there beside you through all this shit. That's what."

Even with the best of wills he couldn't tell if the sound erupting through Sasuke's throat was a chuckle or a sob. " Idiot."

He grinned, although he had a feeling some tears slipped because he sobbed. " Yeah, I know. Getting all worked up over a bastard like this…"

Sasuke made something that could've been anything from a sound of irritation or amusement to a sob, leaning his head against his shoulder. It wasn't until then he realized just how exhausted the raven was.

Feeling a huge stab of guilt he swallowed thickly to ease the tightness of his throat and wrapped his arms rather tightly around the Uchiha, his head spinning with about a million emotions. If only he'd known, if only he'd been able to understand, he would've never…

Or would he have? It was impossible to tell.

Apparently sensing the way he shivered and fought against a storm of emotions Sasuke pushed him slightly further to look at him with a frown. " Dobe, what's with that face?"

He looked into the raven's eyes, very afraid – nearly terrified – all of a sudden. " Promise me you won't be a idiot enough to give up, alright? You better come back to me."

If there even was such a feeling in his repertoire, Sasuke seemed baffled when looking at him until the expression became clouded by something much harder. The raven probably tried to swat his head, but ended up caressing instead. " Dobe." The Uchiha seemed to be fighting for words, " Thank you."

And suddenly the room felt much colder than before.

He jumped a little when there was a sound of a door being opened, and looked to side to notice Tsunade approaching. She seemed to come close to smiling, probably seeing everything there was hiding in his eyes. " I'm glad to see a visitor here, but I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave now. We're starting to prepare Sasuke for the surgery."

He nodded, feeling so reluctant to leave that it came out as nausea. " 'K", he muttered breathlessly, then turned towards Sasuke once more. In the spur of the moment he did something he would've never expected. He kissed the raven, so long and hard that he probably cut all roads for oxygen, finally breaking apart to meet almost dazed eyes. For some reason his eyes stung when he all but stroked the other's cheek. " Bear that in mind while you sleep, okay?" With that he left, although it was the pretty much last thing he would've wanted to do.

He could've sworn he heard " Idiot" on his way out.

As soon as he was safely in the hallway he leaned heavily against the wall and let tears flow. It was the first time in his life he prayed.

* * *

/ **Five Years Later.** /

* * *

A rather small house on the edge of the city was quiet while Naruto took a hold of a photo album with slightly shaky hands and took a seat on the couch placed almost directly behind him. His trembling deteriorated slightly as he started to go through the flashes of memories.

There was a picture of their first official date, he sitting in a glaring Sasuke's lap. / _" Idiot, put that camera away right now!" " Awww, don't be shy, I know you like this."_ /

There was a picture of them sleeping in each other's arms, which Kiba had taken when sneaking into his apartment when he'd forgotten to lock the door. / _" For a teme you're a real softie." He'd gotten his head smacked painfully for that one._ /

There was picture Sasuke had taken, of him sitting on a bed; naked, deep in thought and happy. / _" Hey what was that for?" " What were you thinking of?" A mysterious smile had been his reply._ /

There was a picture Sakura had taken, of him hugging Sasuke with a huge grin in a café, and the raven once again glaring. / _He could still recall Sakura's roll of eyes. " You two are like a friggin' married couple."_ /

Although he'd taken one of the last pictures in the hospital, right after Sasuke's surgery, it was his favorite, because to him it represented hope and a new beginning. Sasuke was looking at the camera with half open eyes and a tiny smile the man probably didn't know of, a rose he'd placed there behind the raven's ear. / _" Is this your idea of letting me get rest?" He'd responded with a kiss._ /

He made a small, choking sound although he smiled, and found that tears weren't all that far away. Just then he gasped when feeling a kiss on his neck. " Going through that again, dobe?" The voice was amused. " I'm glad you like your early wedding present, though."

He grinned sheepishly, turning his head to kiss his fiancé's – soon to be husband's – mouth. " Maybe I'm getting old, but I love going through those every once in a while." Seeing how the other looked at him he realized he was at the brink of tears. " Nah, it's nothing, these just get me a bit… emotional, I guess."

Sasuke's onyx eyes were softer than he would've expected to see them, filled with understanding. The man kissed his forehead this time, gently. " It's time to go", the man announced in a murmur, wrapping a pair of tender arms around him. He gladly lost himself into the embrace. " There's a church full of people waiting for us."

His expression turning cheeky, he looked at the Uchiha. " What do you say if we make them wait for a one more hour?"

Sasuke agreed gladly, attacking him with several heated kisses. Almost ridiculously glad about such a response he took the Uchiha as gently as he could muster, enjoying the fact that the man was feeling particularly strong and healthy _that_ day. After the long, painful and still ongoing road there'd been – with Sasuke pushing him away at times, their insecurities, fear, uncertainty, treatments, medication, agonizing pain and equally painful waiting – such a well-timed good day felt like a positive sign of some sort, and that was something he welcomed with open arms.

When he stood beside Sasuke two hours later in front of all the people who mattered to them, he meant the words he said from the bottom of his heart. And for the first time in his life he wasn't afraid of jumping into the unknown.

Whether it'd be ten months or fifty years long, they'd take their path together. This time the pledges they gave each other would hold.

* * *

**_I take you to be my wedded husband. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish 'till death do us part._**

* * *

**Owari.**

* * *

(To those wondering… Don't try to find any information on Sasuke's illness, yeah? It's my own doing, so…) (grins sheepishly)

A/N: Lol, how 'bout that? A HAPPY ending from me for once! With a side tone with Sasuke's condition and all, but still. (grins from ear to ear) Heh, I already thought the only type of endings I'm able to produce are sad ones.

Awkay, because I'm running out of time pretty badly I'm starting to tune out.

Once more THANK YOU, from the very bottom of my heart, for all those fantastic review you've taken time to send, as well as for reading and listing! (HUUUUGS) Your guys are so wonderful that I TRULY hope you'll find this ending worth the wait. (gulps nervously) And I really hope you'll take time to leave a lil' note, un. (glances hopefully)

Bye for now folks, and yet again thank you! I'm really gonna miss this story, ya know? (sniffs)

Take care!


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